plan for blog

So, if you've noticed....the subtitle of this blog is "experimental and tempermental whimsy (only until august 20-ish)," and today is August 21. This blog is ending soon. This week in fact---if technology cooperates.

So, here's my plan: I've got all these drafts lying around, I'm going to clean them up, finish posting my pictures...and appropriately backdate some of them. I've actually already been doing this. For example, check out Coffee or Bochum, Germany or I just though this was really sweet... or Florence pics. (If you're feeling obsessive or really bored or ???, click on one of the archival links to play "spot the new addition.") I know this poses some anachronistic questions and maybe threatens some real-time live blog philosophy, but the subtitle of this blog is "experimental and tempermental whimsy." I claim creative whimsical license.

Then, my last entry will be a compilation of my favorite posts grouped by subject. So, there'll be a sort of digest for people who want to read something but not everything...

So, if you're overwhelmed, check back next week and hopefully, everything will be nice and tidy. Thanks to my dear 5 blog readers for reading. You know who you are...and if you get a chance, please email me...I'd love your feedback overall.

in vancouver i today

I just remembered that I never did update my blog about my current whereabouts.  I'm back in Vancouver now, sitting at my desk staring out at the mountains.   The sun is starting to set, and its not as amazing as Swiss sunsets, but it's still pretty beautiful.  Anyway, I'm in a pensive mood...I just got off the phone with some friends from college.  We've organized a foundation for our friend Janet Sekiguchi who passed away four years ago and are currently re-thinking our bare bones website.  I just googled her, and there she is, still quoted on the Stanford Linguistics page: 

"My 9th grade english teacher said one day i would major in linguistics. i was like, whatever. but then i took aave and syntax fall of sophomore year, and the rest is history." 

The tone, the grammar, the punctuation is all hers.   And here she is on a random website of Danny Chai's:

"When my mom let let me take her car to Stanford, I was quite excited; I would be able to run errands, go out to dinner, and drive home often. Of course, when I first met Danny, I never knew he was the con man that he is. He was rather cordial to me -- asked me how I was, when others did not. I enjoyed his company, and, at least seemingly, he mine."  

Okay, it's a bit far from Janet's voice (I'm pretty sure Danny wrote that poking fun of himself) but it totally makes me laugh, and it makes me miss her so much.  Anyway, check out our bare bones website if you'd like.  (Better yet, check it out at the end of September.)

Oh yeah, so I got in okay....pretty late....and I am now in weird state of strange languor/stupor.  I thought jet lag was easier when you fly West.   "East is least easy:" isn't that how the saying goes?  Pico Iyer says not to trust yourself for a week after you've flown anywhere.  The liminality of jet lag that makes things that are not normally a big deal, a big deal and not normally exciting or wonderful or sad, very exciting or wonderful or sad.  Pico Iyer also tries to make the most of this liminality, by seeing it as a new lens to see life.  I think that's what he says, I've been reading his latest book under the influence of jet lag, so I could be reading it very wrong.  Ha ha.  Anyway, he doesn't quite convince me...

Oh yeah, so I'm back in Vancouver....and that's about all I have to report.

The exciting news from LGA

So, I'm at the airport again, this time at LaGuardia.   My dad made sure I was here nice and early to avoid any airport chaos, and here I am again, with a decent amount of time to kill.  Two more planes....and then I'll be in Vancouver.  I'm looking forward to being at one place, being at  and in the closest thing I have to a *home,* with my bed and my things.    It'll be nice not to travel fora while....though I think I will be in California at Margaret's wedding in October?  Anyway, until then, my plan is to be a homebody in a state of semi-hibernation.  Please, however, do call me up for a movie, a dinner (especially for Asian food), a game of cards....

Well, uh, there is actually no exciting news to report from LaGuardia.  I'm sitting with Betsy's generously loaned Green hiking backpack, featured in Friend or Foe?...thanks to Heather's advice, it didn't make it with me to Europe---and I am so glad about that.  With this small green child on my back in the disgusting heat of Rome, I'm pretty sure I would have wanted to die.    Now that I think about it, it has made all my North American side trips, and today, the small green child is my company to Chicago and then to Vancouver. 

Sunday morning...

So, I never did get to see New York City or Geneva for that matter, actually. I've seen the insides of the train stations, but there wasn't enough time to explore these cities. Next time. But anyway, the closest I got to New York City, was when I drove to Flushing, Queens to see my friend Melody. (Flushing is technically in New York City---but not Manhattan) Anyway, I know Melody from my home church youth group. She's now a PT in the City and just got back from this awesome trip in India where she was distributing wheelchairs with Joni Tada Erickson's organization. We had a very encouraging and lovely, albeit truncated visit before I flew off back to Vancouver. Here we are with all the lovely steam from our food. And the food is worth noting, actually. I can't seem to find this bottom dish in Vancouver despite the Asian food paradise that it truly is. This dish is literally translated as "salty soy bean milk."
If you look carefully, it looks kind of gross, but it's one of my most favorite things to eat. I love this stuff, and it's usually available for a dollar or two at a Taiwanese breakfast place. It's hot soybean milk with chopped preserved radish, with green onions, chili oil, vinegar and floating pieces of you3 tiao3 or "chinese donut." It sounds gross, but it's simply divine. This one also had bah soh (shredded pork in taiwanese) and was a bit sweet. Not the best one I had, but still very good.

Someone tells me that you can get it on the Eastside of Vancouver at some hole in the wall. The wait, I hear is 1-2 hours long. Let's go, I say!